[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist":3,"chapter-this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-472":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1531829,1991,"Chapter 472: 473: Avery & Samuel","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-472",472,"\u003Cp>— \"Avery… she's your biological aunt.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>— \"But she was adopted into the main family when she was young.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita's expression went blank for a few seconds, then suddenly, it all made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder Avery was the leader of Eclipse Vanguard in this life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her past life, Rick was also strong, but his rise wasn't this fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, he spent his early years fighting for power in S City, building his influence. It wasn't until he roped in The Taylor Family, The White Family, and The Lopez Family that he finally dominated S City—enough to suppress the Special Affairs Bureau there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as a live-in son-in-law, Rick had to stay in the shadows until he was strong enough to flip the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His strength wasn't dazzling enough to shock people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His ambition was plain as day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he was too deeply entangled with The Lopez Family, The White Family, and The Taylor Family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With all of this baggage, Rick's very existence was more of a hindrance than a help to Avery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how distant their ties became, some bonds couldn't be severed just because of adoption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, compare that to Rita.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She only focused on herself, her strength far outpacing everyone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though she remained wary of Eclipse Vanguard in private, she had no ambition. She was a solo player—powerful, well-regarded, and free of political ties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She even had BS's only dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though she never joined Eclipse Vanguard, she had repeatedly shown goodwill toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Add all these factors together, and it was inevitable that Rita's existence had helped Avery secure her leadership position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But whether it was in her past life or this one—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Avery never acknowledged their family ties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita asked B80234615, \"Do you know anything else about Avery's relationship with my family?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615 replied, \"I can only retrieve digital traces from the internet. But there's a major issue between Avery and Samuel.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your grandmother, Eleanor, repeatedly asked Samuel why he hated Avery so much—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hated her so much that he even projected that hatred onto his own children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it just because she was the one adopted instead of him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita's fingers twitched slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Keep going.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it was because B80234615 had already analyzed her true feelings, but it never bothered adding any respectful titles when mentioning Samuel or Rick—only Eleanor received that courtesy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615 paused briefly before continuing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Samuel's response was this:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'You don't understand a damn thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if I wake up one day and the whole world spits on me,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if everyone calls me worse than a pig or a dog,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if my parents and children never acknowledge me again,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if I die alone, my corpse rotting in the wild,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I will never forgive Avery.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita set aside everything else she was doing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…You've analyzed it, haven't you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with just a few scraps of information, you've pieced together the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tell me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615: \"Yes. The probability of accuracy is above 87%.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When Avery and Samuel were children, they found a strange artifact from Lania Kaia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That artifact ended up in Avery's hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using its abilities, she entered the main family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over time, she gained influence and eventually controlled the household.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The artifact was only a stepping stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Samuel convinced himself that everything Avery gained was because of it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For years, Samuel didn't even realize it was an artifact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought it was just some ridiculous 'golden finger' luck boost from a fantasy novel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he finally understands? It only makes him more bitter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita's voice was sharp. \"Was the artifact something Avery stole from him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615: \"Avery has never addressed this online.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It's always been Samuel complaining about it alone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"According to Samuel, he was the first to discover the artifact and bring it home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, Avery even told him not to bring 'ocean trash' back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita immediately understood why Samuel harbored so much hatred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his mind, he was the protagonist of a novel…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"chosen one\" who got his destiny stolen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every misfortune in his life, he blamed on Avery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much wealth or power he accumulated, the moment he looked at Avery—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could never be satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hatred was an unquenchable fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't care how hard Avery worked or how capable she was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To him, everything she had should have been his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more successful she became, the more he hated her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And somehow, Rita got dragged into this grudge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sneered. \"So why didn't Samuel just flip the table?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he couldn't have it, why didn't he make sure Avery couldn't either?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as she said it, she realized it was a dumb question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She quickly reframed it to get to the heart of the matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…What was that artifact?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Can you find details on its abilities?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615: \"It was an artifact that gave one's voice a bewitching effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only did it contain a small storage space, but it also produced a single drop of ocean elixir daily, which had healing properties.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita understood immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Avery realized its power, she must have used it on Samuel first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if she was ruthless, she wouldn't have been so cold-blooded as to kill her own brother over some artifact—not as a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why didn't she just completely erase his hatred?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it because no matter how much she suppressed his emotions, the root cause remained?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And no matter how many times she \"killed\" his hatred, it would always grow back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita chuckled at the thought. \"…Let me guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That artifact—did it look like a jade pendant?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615 didn't get the joke. \"No. It was a dried-up starfish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Avery still carries it with her. Probability of identification: 97.6%.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita smoothed out her smirk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Samuel had a tragic backstory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did that mean she forgave him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Absolutely not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever happened between him and Avery was their business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Samuel projecting his hatred onto her, forcing her into servitude for Rick—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was unforgivable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A new thought struck her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can you track their meeting history?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did Avery have anything to do with my family leaving B City?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>B80234615 flashed rapidly, processing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took several minutes—enough that its battery dropped by 2%—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>before it finally answered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've reconstructed surveillance footage from that year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes. Samuel and Avery did meet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rita let out a slow breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't know how to feel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would she suddenly sympathize with Samuel? Hell no.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would she start hating Avery for it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not necessarily.\u003C\u002Fp>",1086,"2026-06-06T06:14:58.840Z",1,"novelbin.me","a05f3e6836bc8ded9fdaa10465eb92d145a24e454bffa4c5f67ae9fcf5d076de","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-473","this-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-chapter-471",1404,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-life-i-will-be-the-protagonist-cover.jpg"]